The dynamic relationship between disability onset, earnings, and disability insurance application and receipt

•Earnings decrease sharply at the time of disability onset.•Simultaneously, disability insurance application and receipt increase.•At disability onset, the effect of disability insurance on earnings is limited.

At the time of disability onset, the effect of disability insurance on earnings is limited by the finding that work-prevented respondents, who account for the majority of benefit claims, have negligible earnings regardless of application status.